There is no admission that the background art disclosed in this section legally constitutes prior art.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) refers to the increase in size of the prostate in middle-aged and elderly men. It is characterized by hyperplasia of prostatic stromal and epithelial cells, resulting in the formation of large, fairly discrete nodules in the periurethral region of the prostate. When sufficiently large, the nodules compress the urethral canal to cause partial, or sometimes virtually complete, obstruction of the urethra which interferes with the normal flow of urine. It leads to symptoms of urinary hesitancy, frequent urination, increased risk of urinary tract infections and urinary retention. Adenomatous prostatic growth is believed to begin at approximately age 30 years.
The prostate gets larger in most men as they get older, and overall, 45% of men over the age of 46 can expect to suffer from the symptoms of BPH if they survive 30 years. Incidence rates increase from 3 cases per 1000 man—years at age 45-49 years, to 38 cases per 1000 man—years by the age of 75-79 years. Whereas prevalence rates are 2.7% for men aged 45-49, they increase to 24% by the age of 80 years. For some men, the symptoms may be severe enough to require treatment.
Thus, despite the growing body of knowledge regarding BPH, there is still a need to provide improved methods of treatment of BPH.
There remains a need in the art for new, less toxic treatments for treating unwanted cellular elements.